Tips for Twins #1: Night Feeds

I'm starting "Tips for Twins" for all mommies needing some tips and encouragement on being mothers of twins, or even singletons. It's so hard to be a mom, a very steep learning curve, but I made it, and so can you. I had a lot of advice when I had just given birth, so I hope to pass on these valuable words to you.

If you're a mommy, you'd know that night feeds are the hardest with twins, especially if you've had no help. I didn't have a confinement nanny – hubby took a whole month's leave and we did the first 4 weeks together. He had to go back to work after that month, so it was just me.

I am so not a night-person. Getting up to feed the babies was an immense struggle. All. The. Time. And with twins. OMG. I made it through in a dazed state every night, ignoring baby cries by being too sleepy to bother. To this day, many moms still ask me how I did it. There are some tips to handling this situation in a calm and sane manner.

1. Prepare bottles of formula beforehand. So you can just pour water.
 
2. Warming up pre-expressed breast milk is a tad harder though. From the fridge, they will be cold and take at least 5 mins to warm up. 5 mins is an eternity with little babies. If you're latching on direct, you'd have no problems. So it might be good to do that for night feeds.
 
3. Don't fret if one of the twins are crying. Unfortunately, if there's only you, they'd just have to take turns. That said, it can be extremely stressful when one baby is screaming in the dead of the night while you're trying to handle the other one. But unless you're latching on both at the same time, there's no choice but to let baby wait. Take care of one first, and then the second one -- diaper change, milk, diaper change. Proceed to second baby. If first baby needs more milk (God knows why they sometimes drink so much milk and poop so much!), handle second baby first, then go back to first baby. They won't die from screaming, so don't worry. It's just that your family (or the neighbourhood) might be awakened by the cries.

4. Diaper changes – you have to learn to do them fast, especially in the night. I was somewhat of an expert, able to change two babies in the same time the lady at the next door cubicle in the mall was able to change her one baby. Haha....

5. Sometimes your babies might not want to sleep when you put them back in the bed. This one is a bit of a problem. I mean, you're exhausted and wanna go back to bed, but baby wants to play?! (Or babies!) I'd say pray hard, rock them a little, put them down, and use helping aids like musical mobiles and such. You could cuddle one to sleep, but hopefully the other doesn't need your attention so much.

6. Go to sleep ASAP. You never know when the babies are gonna wake up again! Try to rest as much as possible.

7. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask. Hubby was doing the "night shift" one day and came to ask me for help because one of the girls kept wanting milk and refused to sleep. He left her on the floor and didn't know what to do anymore. Think he fed her 3 times...

8. Get someone to do the morning shift while you get a good nap. I think a 4 hour nap for new mothers should suffice, enough to recharge your body and energy. Rotating in shifts works better for our mental and physical health. If you can, get the husband or someone to do 6 hour rotating shifts for the night and morning. During confinement, hubby did the 12-6am shift, and then I woke up to continue while he went to bed. It was much better than two people being stoned all day because they had to struggle for the night feeds.
9. Cry if you have to, but wipe it up, thank heavens for your baby, and soldier on.

10. Thou shalt all pass. Time flies, and you'd look back and marvel that you made it through. I know I do!


Take care mommies (and daddies)! Ganbatte ne! You can do it. :)

xoxo,
mommy of the crazy twin girls

One year!

It's incredible that I have not put in a blog entry in the last 6 months! I have been mighty busy with work and the babies. Sometime after the 6-month mark, they became super demanding, usurping all my time. I could not step away from them without them screaming and crying like the world's gonna end. They had their toys and each other, but it seemed like an adult had to be around to make them feel safe and secure.

In any case, here I am now, hoping to pen my thoughts down. The kids are asleep, mostly through the night, lucky us(!), and I shall spare a few moments to share my experience of crossing the one year mark.


First off, I must remark it has indeed been very fast. In the beginning when the babies just slept, drank milk and pooped all day, I felt tired and bored and time seemed to go very slow. I never believed, or dared to imagine, when some other parent told me how time goes faster with kids. And then when they started trying to talk, and crawl, and walk, and eat solids, etc, the days just whizzed by at breakneck speed. At one moment, I was looking forward to Christmas, or Chinese New Year, or their first holiday... the next moment, their first birthday party is over already. The girls had a swell time I think. I did, though I wished I had more time to chat with anyone for more than 2 minutes! Amelie didn't even want to sleep and had to be coaxed to after 2 hours of playing. Astelle took a 30 minute snooze and got up to say hello to the many guests, and meet the other little babies her age.

Also, babies learn very fast and soak up information like a sponge. It was interesting to see that you just needed to tell them certain things a few times and they'd get it. For example, they clipped their fingers on the drawers a few times and after that, learned to be cautious. They also learned words of their favourite toys like ball or bear pretty fast. However, it does not work when you scold them many times over and over again, not to touch the fan or play with electrical sockets. Arghh!


It's been an amazing journey this past one year. I recently visited a friend who just gave birth, and her baby seemed so small and fragile. It made me think back to the year before when my babies came out all skinny and shrivelled, small but precious. They could only lie down and not do anything, and couldn't use their hands to pick up things. *Sigh* time flies indeed... very soon, they will be 21 and graduating from school...

My babies are half year old!

Time flies...especially when you are having fun. After the initial steep learning curve, the babies have blossomed into curious, active and absolutely adorable creatures. They still cry and scream now and then, mostly to get our attention. But if we look and listen hard, we'd figure out what they want...

Happy 6 months old babies!

Photo Spam

Photo spam. Just sharing some photos of my babies. :)

The big op: my account of my delivery

Before I had my c-section, I would imagine the worse, the scariest sensations, and the most excruciating pain. However, because so many friends had done this before me, I imagined that despite all the suffering, everything will be ok in the end. And indeed it was good, but it wasn't even as scary as I thought it was. Here is my account.

On the morning of my c-section, I arrived at the hospital hungry and parched. There was a strict 12 hour fast required and all I could do to quench myself was swallow saliva. I felt a bit like Aron Ralston when he was trapped for 127 hours in the desert, and I pleaded with every nurse to let me have sips of water. But besides the little I was allowed for some tablets, I had to wait.

After a procedure of paperwork, urine tests, and having a nurse shave my nether regions, I proceeded to change into a hospital gown, and all those disposable things they can give you for your hair, body, feet... A bunch of nice nurses made me fill in more paperwork, and then a very wonderful nurse called Narindar Kaur took me to the operating theatre. It wasn't my first time in an OT, but this one was bigger and had more equipment. I was strapped to blood pressure and heartbeat monitors, and the anaethesiologist Dr Sandeep injected a series of numbing chemicals into the sides of my spine. Narindar was fantastic, covering me with a blanket and warm air-blower, talking to me and giving me advice, and making me feel at home (if that made any sense to have an OT as 'home"!) I was asked to curl my back into a "C" shape, but how I could do that with a huge belly, I dunno! I tried my best with a pillow I was hugging. I think there were 3 injections to the back, one of which hit a nerve and was actually a tad bit painful. I was sprayed with icy water on the back as well, which I suppose was to further numb my back to the injections.

There was a long wait after that for my gynae to arrive. Narindar amicably indulged me in chatter, telling me about her children and breastfeeding. I was visibly nervous, and my blood pressure was in the 180 range. It was apparently normal to have it this high with nervousness although I was alarmed. Around me were other nurses and doctors texting on their iPhones and waiting for the operation to start. It was all very casual. When the gynae arrived, everyone snapped into action. Dr Sandeep administered the epidural, which was completely painless due to the numbing injections earlier. I was pleased, I had expected a huge-ass needle to hurt, but it didn't! The epidural was quick to work, and I was moved into a lying position. Dr Sandeep kept touching me with an ice-pack to check if I was suitably numb...I'd say I was numb to my collarbone. A cloth screen was erected in front of me and my legs were strapped to the blood pressure monitors. Kimmy was then ushered in to sit with me at the head of the table, and in 5 minutes, the incision on my bikini line was made. It was all a bit strange to feel pushing and tugging sensations but without any pain. I felt anxious and the blood pressure monitor was skyrocketing, with a loud disturbing beep. Thank goodness Dr Sandeep was reassuring, with a soft calming voice in my ear.

What's next was one of the doctors/nurses pressing hard on my belly, kinda like doing a massage, and then a squawk was heard - Amelie was out! Before I knew it, more belly jiggling and Astelle came out crying as well. They and Kimmy were whisked away in seconds, and I was alone again. More pushing and tugging. I was groggy and it felt so comfortable, like a body massage. I presume the doctors were removing the placenta and other unwanted stuff, and then stitching me up. This part took quite a long while, and I was happy to close my eyes and nap. I felt very tired suddenly. When it was over, they moved me to a recovery room where I was monitored for an hour before bringing me up to the ward. My temperature and blood pressure was taken at (what felt like) 5 minute intervals. I was also attached to a catheter so I need not get up to go to the toilet.

After some time, I was brought up to the ward, which was really cosy and nice (A-class wards at KKH - worth your money!). I then found out that Astelle had been checked into Special Care Nursery for low blood sugar, and Amelie was fine but they brought her for scans on her heart. My parents and in laws were there, and Kimmy, who was a fabulous help in doing everything I could not.

I had a great 4 day stay at KKH, except for the extreme itch I had as an after-effect of the epidural. The nurses were friendly, polite and nice, the lactation consultant Sharon was a tremendous help, and the food was good too! The most painful part was getting up on the second day though. I cannot describe how painful my belly felt when I had to sit up from bed. I forced myself with sheer willpower, and was rewarded because sitting up and even walking felt so much better than lying on the bed and being unable to move. Peeing for the first time was tough too but the nurses were very reassuring and helpful. I shan't describe the contents in the toilet...shall spare you the gruesome details. :)

I am not sure if I would dare to go through a c-section again, but if I had to, I guess I should be heartened that it would heal and everything will eventually be fine.

It's all so surreal...

It's been 3 weeks since I gave birth and it still seems rather surreal. In my home are two adorable little girls (currently having their nap and looking like angels) – my children. I have to pinch myself sometimes to see if I am dreaming...that I finally have the children I've always been praying for. On the other hand, looking after babies is challenging, and I get so tired sometimes I just want to run away, go back to work, back to my previous life.

Again I say, if I didn't have God, I'd be a wreck. I have to constantly remind myself to relax, take a deep breath, and ask Him to guide me and bless me with wisdom and perseverance. Perhaps I should say "we" because Kimmy is going through the same challenges I am. Thank God that he took the whole month off to help me out, together with mother-in-law who has been a wonderful help around the house (she helps us cook and clean and do laundry – yay!).

Moving forward, I hope I will be a good mom, and be able to meet the different challenges children pose. I am grateful for all the help and advice everyone has given me, and I look forward to exciting times with the little ones.

As for now, it's time to get ready for another feed. :)

A cosy little nursery for two

On a more cheerful note, here are some photos of the nursery. It looks perfect to sleep and play in. =)



Maybe I'd wake up happy and refreshed, and very much more optimistic tomorrow. Although that could be impossible as well – it is getting difficult to sleep comfortably at night, there is no position that's right, either giving me tightness in my belly, pins and needles, swollen joints, or leg cramps. I also have to wake up every two hours to go to the toilet.

Jostling

The babies have been jostling for space in my belly recently. Sometimes, it feels like one of them is pushing the other to make space for herself. And in return, the other one pushes back. It really is quite cute, but the movements are strong and can be shocking.

It's enjoyable to watch them play though... :) Hope my tummy and uterus stretches even more so that they can grow bigger, much bigger.

Birds

I have a fascination with birds.

This is my bedsheet set.


And my bedside lamp.


I just bought these cute brooches from mein.


And stuck up wall decals for the nursery.


I don't even particularly like birds in real life; only in design silhouettes will I use them over and over again. My personalised stationery comes with a bird too!

Mood Board

I saw a lovely nursery studio mood board on designmein...and was inspired to create this. Of course, it is a little late to do a mood board when much of the nursery has been decided on. However, it would be nice just to keep some of these photos which I love, and what better way than to create a mood board. Just for memories.


Also found this on partydress.net...lovely vintage girly theme.

Images from
hellosandwich.blogspot.com
gallery.projectnursery.com
www.thepartydress.net